Jaipur: Four girls were injured after a portion of the ceiling plaster fell on students at a government school in Banswara, Rajasthan, despite a similar incident occurring last year. The incident took place on Monday at the Government Senior Secondary School in Amarthun village, Banswara.
Incident Details
The injured students were promptly taken to a nearby hospital and were discharged later the same day, according to school authorities. School staff revealed that two classes were being conducted in a single classroom to accommodate the student strength, along with three additional tin sheds constructed through the collective efforts of teachers and locals.
School Infrastructure Issues
The school has a total of 13 rooms, of which five are closed due to being dilapidated. With a total strength of 722 students, the school operates in just eight rooms. An official from the school, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated, "We have written to the district education officials, the directorate, and even on the chief minister's portal, apprising them about the condition of the school, but no action was taken. Now that this mishap has happened, all officials are here at the village to conduct inspections. Last year too, plaster from the ceiling fell, and authorities were informed, but no action was taken."
Education Department Response
The education department has now allowed the school to operate in two shifts. Officials from the education department said that the school was repaired around four years ago and the room where the plaster fell was not categorized as dilapidated. Pawan Kumar Rawal, District Education Officer, Banswara, who reached the spot on Monday after the incident, said that a safety audit will be conducted for the school.
"All students are safe, and we have issued orders for classes to be conducted in two shifts in the school, as the number of students is high. The school was repaired four years ago and passed the safety audit conducted last year, but we will once again check what caused this incident," said Rawal.
Broader Context of School Safety in Rajasthan
This incident has once again raised questions about students' safety in government schools in Rajasthan. Last year, seven students died when a government school's classroom wall collapsed in Jhalawar district. In August last year, the education department identified 3,768 school buildings as dilapidated, with 2,558 officially declared unsafe, as cited by Education Minister Madan Dilawar in the assembly on January 30.
The recurring incidents highlight the urgent need for comprehensive safety audits and infrastructural improvements across government schools in the state. Parents and local communities have expressed concern over the lack of timely action despite repeated complaints.
